[Am-info] Re: Virus-like attack hits web traffic

[Erick Andrews]

On Mon, 27 Jan 2003 08:27:16 -0800, Mitch Stone wrote:

>Making a rash assumption, the ATMs are networked through centralized 
>databases at the banks running on machines that were attacked, or rely 
>on network servers that were crashed or rendered ineffective by a loss 
>of bandwidth. Just a theory, based on no knowledge.

I don't think that's a rash assumption at all.  I'd say it's very likely to be
the only points of failure and not the ATM boxes.  Although I'll say
that several years ago when I was at BankBoston (now Fleet) all their
ATMs ran OS/2 but could be "re-imaged" from servers.  At that time
all their servers connecting to the ATMs ran OS/2.  I would not be surprised
if these servers have since been replaced with you-know-what.

>
>Either way, it's another object lesson on the mistake of relying too 
>much on any one technology. In these days of security mania, one would 
>think the government would be encouraging more diversity in these 
>systems, the most reliable method for creating firebreaks against these 
>attacks. But I'm sure that's too much to hope for in the current 
>political environment.

Right.

[...]

-- 
Erick Andrews